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How French fullback Mark Kheirallah ran 90 metres to score an improbable try against Australia last week - beating Billy Slater and Josh Dugan for pace after swerving through a sea of Kangaroos - will go down as one of the great moments in World Cup history.

Kheirallah was still grinning a smile as long as the Seine a few days later.

"I'm going to try and ride it for as long as possible, I reckon," he joked.

"Hopefully the try aids in the upbringing for a few kids and stuff like that. It's not the most popular sport in France at the moment with football obviously (as number one).

"I'm just trying to do the best I can, and so are the rest of the boys."

The Australians gradually ground out a big win in Canberra but Kheirallah's try could be a source of inspiration for French rugby league fans. The Chanticleers World Cup games are shown live through BeIN Sports in France, and fans have given constant support to the team via social media.

Kheirellah was born in Sydney and played an NRL game for the Sydney Roosters before moving to France after a former Newtown teammate asked him if he'd be interested. He joined French Elite One team Toulouse Olympique and qualified to play for France after living there for five years, an experience he's thoroughly enjoyed.

"It's been unreal the last few weeks," he said.

"The boys have been really welcoming, especially because I'm a bit of an outsider. I've loved it."

Khierellah says he never harboured ambitions to represent Les Chanticleers, but that's what made his time even more special in the blue, white and red.

"I was playing good footy and stuff, but I never imagined getting picked in the side," he said.

"It was never something I aspired to do, but thankfully I got given the opportunity and just tried to make the most of it."

The fullback believes France will take a couple of decades to become more of a force at Test level, mainly because they start playing the game later.

"There are a few French boys who are really high quality players," he said.

"Their passion is always there. They're very physical players. The general skill isn't as much as Australians - just because we start a lot earlier. For them, they start in their early teens, whereas we're kids. There are a few teams who are coming up through the ranks of the different divisions and pushing to the top grade.

"I think give it another 10-15 years and it will definitely be a force."